"Quisling's
reports transmitted to his representative in Germany, Hagelin, and
dealing with the possibility of intervention by the Western Powers in
Norway, with tacit consent of the Norwegian Government, became more
urgent by January. These increasingly better substantiated
communications were in sharpest contrast to the view of the German
Legation in Oslo which relied on the desire for neutrality of the then
Norwegian Nygardsvold Cabinet and was convinced of that government's
intention and readiness to defend Norway's neutrality. No one in
Norway knew that Quisling's representative for Germany maintained
closest relations with him; he therefore succeeded in gaining a
foothold within governmental circles of the Nygardsvold Cabinet and in
listening to the Cabinet members' true views. Hagelin transmitted what
he had heard to the bureau"  Rosenberg's bureau  "which
conveyed the news to the Führer through Reichsleiter Rosenberg.
During the night of the 16th to 17th February English destroyers
attacked the German steamer Altmark in Jössingfjord."

The Tribunal will remember that
that is a reference to the action by the British destroyer Cossack
against the German naval auxiliary vessel Altmark which was
carrying 300 British prisoners captured on the high seas to Germany
through Norwegian territorial waters. The position of the British
Delegation with regard to that episode is that the use that was being
made by the Altmark of Norwegian territorial waters was in fact
a flagrant abuse in itself of Norwegian neutrality and the action taken
by H. M. S. Cossack which was restricted to rescuing the 300 British
prisoners on board  no attempt being made to destroy the Altmark
or to capture the armed guards on board of her  was fully
justified under international law.

Now the Rosenberg report
which I interrupted to give that statement of the British view on the
Altmark episode  the Rosenberg report continues:

"The
Norwegian Government's reaction to this question permitted the
conclusion that certain agreements had been covertly arrived at
between the Norwegian Government and the Allies. Such assumption was
confirmed by reports of Chief of Section Scheidt, who in turn derived
his information from Hagelin and Quisling. But even after this
incident the German Legation in Oslo championed the opposite view and
went on record as believing in the good intentions of the Norwegians."

And so the Tribunal will see that
the Nazi Government preferred the reports of the traitor Quisling to the
considered judgment of German diplomatic representatives in Norway. The
result of the